The National Survey and Mapping Coordination Agency (Bakosurtanal) for the first time has a survey vessel of its own for the morphological mapping of shallow waters in Indonesia.
“The vessel was built by an all Indonesia team, and its design and construction was carried out by the Surabaya November 10 Technological Institute (ITS) and the national company Maruline Maju Utama,” head of Bakosurtanal Rudolf W Matindas said during the launching of the survey ship KM Tanjung Perak at Marina Beach in Ancol, Jakarta, Thursday.
The the 20 dwt Katamaran motor vessel has various hydrographical surveying equipment known as multibeam echosounder with a capacity of fathoming a depth of 60 meters with computerized data processing instruments.
“This year we will raise its capacity to measure 300 meters deep waters, and therefore very useful for coastal surveying operations,” he said.
He also said that to cover Indonesia`s coastline with a total length of more than 100 thousand kilometers, it would be ideal to have another six of this vessel.
With the ship measuring 22.2 meters long and 7.5 meter wide, he said, a survey for a coastal mapping in Indonesia starting in April this year, would be completed earlier.
“And for the collection of batimetric data in deeper waters, Bakosurtanal is sitll using research vessels Baruna Jaya II, III dan VIII of the Indonesian Siences Institute (LIPI) and the the National Agency of Technological Assessment and Application (BPPT), and Geomarine III of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources which has a wider cruising capacity and higher multibeam echosounding capacity,” he said.
Matindas said the Rp 4 billion to build the vessel came from the budget of Bakosurtanal and it needs an operational cost of up to Rp500 million per year for the procurement of diesel oil at a daily rate of Rp15 million.
“Therefore the ship needs to be operated to the maximum, this year at least 150 days, and next year 250 days,” he said.
In the meantime, minister of research and technology Surapranata said his ministry planned to build special ports for research vessels in Indonesia like in Bungus for western Indonesia, and in Ambon for eastern Indonesia.
Source : Antara
